Many teachers and schools believe that if there is no Indigenous presence, Treaty Education is meaningless. This is ignorant and incorrect. As Claire points out, having no Indigenous students actually calls for more thorough Treaty Education. Teaching Treaty Education has many purposes. A large purpose is to inform students of Indigenous cultures, ways of learning and experiences. But there is a deeper purpose. Claire explains what her daughters, who are indigenous, want is “for their classmates to know and understand what they know and understand about being Indigenous”. This is especially crucial in schools with little to no Indigenous population.
From my understanding of curriculum “We are all treaty people” is a very deep meaning. It gies much beyond understanding what treaty you reside on. It means knowing the history of the land, knowing the Treaty Act for the land, and more. “We are all treaty people” means being fully aware of treaty land and how it was acquired. Knowing the genocide, deceit, and betrayal that went into acquiring the land helps with being Treaty People.
Hey Laina, I completely agree that “we are all treaty people” has many deep meanings. How would you potentially introduce this concept into your future classroom? I think that you made many insightful comments about this topic in you post!
Hello Laina,
You said this very well, especially the part about teaching non-Indigenous students more about Treaty Education because everyone needs to know about treaties and will benefit from Treaty Education. What do you think is the best way to teach students about Treaty Education who are just starting to learn? Finally, you seem to have a real passion for teaching Treaty Education. This is awesome and will definitely help you in the classroom.
Hi Laina, I think that teaching students about different cultures is very important, especially when looking at Indigenous cultures considering what has happened in the past in our country. I didn’t think about the meaning “we are all treaty people’, the way you think of it but I do agree with your understanding of it. Thanks for the read!
Hi Laina!
I really enjoyed the way you began your response. It was the perfect line to catch the attention of all readers. As you said, that line is in fact ignorant and incorrect. Treaty education is so important and helpful among schools. It is sad to know that many people do not feel the same way. I believe that it is our job as future educators, to help create a path on a positive route to learning about treaty education. As you stated, the comment, “We are all treaty people”, is such an important topic with deep meaning behind it. It is important that we all understand Canada’s horrible past, yet look towards creating a better future. I think your response was an accurate representation of this.
Thanks for sharing!
-Kaylie Klewchuk